Hand in Hand Global Mission Support Blog Digest

The Rev. Miriam Schmidt, an ELCA missionary, is the pastor of Bratislava International Church in Bratislava, Slovakia, and the ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission regional coordinator for Central Europe. Here is an excerpt from her May newsletter. You can read the full letter at her blog. To support Miriam, or another of the ELCA’s over 200 missionaries in the global church, go to www.elca.org/missionarysponsorship.

The Rev. Miriam Schmidt

At the beginning of Lent, a couple from the Bratislava International Church approached me. They had been invited to the congregation by one of our regular assembly members. They had been worshiping for a while with us, though they had never come forward for communion. I found out they are a young, married couple, a couple looking for a religion, a faith to share that might hold their family in the years ahead. She is Slovak but was raised during the Communist period, and had never been baptized. He was born and raised in Iraq and grew up in a non-practicing Muslim household.

Now this couple found themselves attending the Bratislava International Church and talking to me at fellowship hour about what it would mean to baptized.

So we began meeting. Week after week we met, and by the end of February the couple was clear — they wanted to be baptized, and yes, at this year’s Easter Vigil. Our meetings were moving and challenging. They asked great questions about the Trinity, about the sacraments, about who baptismal sponsors might be. I loved getting to know these two 20-somethings who were actually interested in learning about the Christian faith they were preparing to enter.

The Easter Vigil was full of surprises: I had anticipated less than 30 in attendance and around 60 came, including multiple children. We overflowed the candlelit room we’d set up for the Vigil readings. The children danced with me as we sang “Oh Mary Don’t You Weep,” and they provided musical accompaniment to the outdoor reading of the Three Men and the Fiery Furnace, next to a real blazing fire, with the rain falling down on our heads.

Finally we came into the sanctuary and gathered around the font to baptize the couple that our assembly had been praying for throughout the Lenten season. I prayed the thanksgiving prayer, poured water over their heads, laid hands on them, and anointed them with a cross of oil. Just to remind us that baptism invites renewal, a dear 50-something member of our assembly affirmed her baptism that night as well.

The Spirit of God was surprisingly tangible, remaining with us as two new Christians took their first communion in a circle of people from Korea, Iran, Ghana, Slovakia, England, the USA, Denmark and Norway.

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Rebecca Wicker is spending a year in Tenom, Malaysia, as part of the ELCA’s Young Adults in Global Mission program. The program relies on coordinators who facilitate the young adults’ ministry and provide mentoring and spiritual guidance. To support a coordinator, go to www.ELCA.org/missionarysponsorship.

Rebecca Wicker

As the Young Adults in Global Mission volunteers for 2013-2014 [recently] gathered to discern and find out where they would be placed for the next year, I found myself reflecting on where I’ve been in the past year.  I remember being a ball of nerves anxiously waiting to find out which country I would be going to (unfortunately, our names were called in alphabetical order so I had to sweat it out).  I remember that weekend as we learned more about the theme of accompaniment and attempting to wrap my head around a concept that has become the theme of my life for the past few months.

The difference between where I was and where I am now feels enormous, but if I look back at my year so far, there’s no singular point where all this took place. Change and learning has taken place in small increments in each passing day. In terms of language, I used to only be able to catch a couple of words in a conversation. Now I find that I can follow most of what’s being said and participate. I’ve had some pretty crazy food adventures and would have never imagined myself eating, let alone enjoying, half of the foods that have become my favorite dishes. The people in my community have become more than just hosts, they’ve become a family. I miss them when I leave Tenom and rejoice when I’m back in town. I look back at when I first arrived here and remember feeling extremely anxious because I had no idea what my role would be. But now I find myself a part of the work of the church, as a teacher, friend, musician and fellow worker in the body of Christ.

What I now realize has been a dramatic change took place at the hands of a very patient God. It’s the everyday kindness and guidance that has shaped me here. From the smiles to the invitations, to the meals, each interaction has helped me become part of the family here. It’s also been in the everyday opportunities that I’ve had for small acts of service that I’ve realized where my gifts and talents can be used. There have been walks with friends, afternoon visits, extra patience and a willingness to be open that have let me share a bit of myself here. Alone, these acts are small, but they add up and build relationships as well as shape the walks we take with people. In these small acts, God brings out the very best.

As I look back at where I’ve been so far, I realize just how many chances the day holds for these small acts. My time here has been filled with these small acts. I realize that time will race by and my time will be winding down all too soon. But if each and every day is filled with these moments of love, these sacred moments that gradually transform, I realize there is still a whole lot to look forward to. There is still a whole lot to experience and be a part of and I look forward to every minute of it.

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Katie Justice is spending a year in South Africa volunteering as part of the ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission program. The program relies on coordinators who facilitate the young adults’ ministry and provide mentoring and spiritual guidance.  To support a coordinator, go to www.ELCA.org/missionarysponsorship.

Katie Justice

So you know there are some days that I just get caught up in all the craziness of the world. Watching the news can be depressing a lot of times and sometimes it just makes me angry. I start to wonder as I am watching the news here with my host family if this world can get any better. I have come to realize that it takes small things for me to see this.

This past weekend, I went to Taung, Northwest, with my host family to visit one of my host mom’s family friends. When we pulled up late on Friday night, we were immediately welcomed by the family. I was greeted with a big hug and I even got to see an adorable baby. We were there for the baby’s dedication at church the next morning (Saturday). It is always amazing to me that even though I am going to someone’s house as a stranger, they still welcome me with open arms. I know that the hospitality that I have learned here will be something that I will take back with me when I go home. Anyway, on Saturday we had a big celebration at church for the baby and even had a big meal afterward. I was able to meet more people and I had a gogo (Zulu  for “grandmother”) tell me that I was her long-lost family member. As I sat down with gogo, she said something that I will never forget. She said that she and I are one. Black and White we are one. Talk about having tears come to your eyes.

I realized that even with all this craziness that I have seen, I also have seen and experienced many beautiful things in this world. I was telling someone today that I am living a beautiful life, and it is true. Being with my extended family in the Taung and with my family throughout South Africa made me realize that regardless of all the craziness, I do still believe that I live in a beautiful world.

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The Rev. Dana Nelson and Tom Ososki are ELCA missionaries in Peru. Here are some of Dana’s thoughts from her April newsletter. To support Dana and Tom, or another of the ELCA’s over 200 missionaries in the global church, go to www.ELCA.org/missionarysponsorship.

Palm Sunday included a procession through the neighborhood.

Greetings to you from Cuzco, Peru!

The kids in Peru, including our own (Tana, 10; Anthony, 6) are back in school after a nice, long summer vacation. Summer in Cusco has certainly been different from our summers spent in Lima. When we lived in the capital city we often went to the beach to play in the sand and in the ocean waves. (And we once had a Sunday worship service with Cristo Rey on the beach.) Here in Cusco we are enjoying the beautiful mountains, with lots of hiking and horseback riding. Our next-door neighbor’s son, Fabricio, is Anthony’s age and they played and played, and Tana had a lot of slumber parties inviting (on a rotating basis) all the girls at church to come over. The church kids played at our home with great imagination, ate Tom’s good cooking, had fun, and got very little sleep but have created awesome bonds of friendship. This is one aspect of being a “missionary family” that has been a delightful surprise for me — how the Spirit’s life-giving and joyful presence manifests in children of different languages and cultures playing together! I may be the one in the family who went to seminary, but most days I am convinced that it’s my partner, Tom the architect, and Tana and Anthony who are the most gifted in accompanying the church and the most effective in nurturing love and building trust in the Lutheran community. I love my family.

On Palm Sunday we had more people in church than I have ever seen in Talitha Kum. The palm-bouquets in Peru (created especially for this holiday) are so beautiful. The palm branches are bent and braided into elaborate shapes of flowers or crosses and then woven together with native plants and olive branches. They are a work of art. After worship the families bring them to their houses to hang them on their doors as a special house blessing to last throughout the year.

On Palm Sunday we also processed through the neighborhood Sol de América singing “Hosanna!” which inspired some people, when they saw us, to set aside what they were doing and run to catch up with our parade.

God bless you, and thank you so much for having supported us. I can’t believe our time in South America will finish in just over two months, after six years of missionary service in Peru. Please do prayerfully consider sponsoring a new missionary through the ELCA Global Mission unit. We are so grateful to you who made it possible for us to be here since 2007. Now it is time for us to pass the torch to a new missionary, or missionary family, who would be so blessed by your care and support as we have been.

Paz, amigos nuestros,
Dana Nelson, Tom Ososki, Tana and Anthony

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Jane Gingrich is spending a year of service in Fianarantsoa, Madagascar, as part of the ELCA’s Young Adults in Global Mission program. Here is an entry from her blog in which she records her experiences. The program relies on coordinators who facilitate the young adults’ ministry and provide mentoring and spiritual guidance. To support a coordinator, go to www.ELCA.org/missionarysponsorship.

This is where I live: Fianarantsoa!

Alleluia, Christ is risen!

The three days of Easter spill into four days in Madagascar. As in North America, each church celebrates a little bit differently, but among Malagasy Lutherans in my community of Fianarantsoa, this is how it looked:

On Maundy Thursday afternoon, people began to gather in the church as early as 3 p.m. Officially worship began at 5 p.m., but washing the feet of over 1,000 congregation members takes time! Every person’s feet are washed as they arrive, then prayer and the hum of singing begins as more and more people gather. By 6 p.m. most everyone is inside the church, freshly cleansed in an act of loving service. Singing, prayer, and the Meal mark the night and everyone returns home around 9 p.m.

Friday is a day of rest. At 6 p.m. worship begins and only a small crowd gathers for a solemn service of prayer, song, sermon and paschal litany. Jesus’ crucifixion is marked and all depart in silence. No stripping of the altar, no snuffing of candles — a simple liturgy of the Word to mark Christ’s sacrifice.

Sunday morning everyone wears new clothes and arrives for worship at 9 a.m.! The morning celebration of Christ’s resurrection is marked with lots of singing, choirs’ songs, baptisms (three at the church here), receiving of new deacons of the church, Eucharist and enthusiastic joy among members! Lunch is a time of gathering for families, relatives and friends. Then Easter Sunday is for relaxing, playing games and enjoying time with family.

Easter Monday struck me as being quite different from back home: It was a church picnic to celebrate Easter a second time! Gathering at 7 a.m. to pile into trucks and vans, as many congregation members as showed up traveled out of town into a nearby forest to lay out mats and blankets to sit on. Then food started to come out of baskets for preparation; women peeled carrots, chopped zucchini and made salads. Rice started cooking and homemade natural juices were pulled out of baskets. As the food cooked, we gathered in worship: prayer, singing, Bible reading, sermon, prayer and song! An incredible journey out into the woods to celebrate Christ’s return to creation! Being that the text was the “Road to Emmaus” story, it seemed most fitting to me that we were out in the world to celebrate Christ being among us again!

After worship, a meal — all shared what we had brought and enjoyed common food cooked together. Then the whole afternoon was filled with exploring the wooded area, singing and dancing traditional dances, and hearing jokes, stories and lots of laughter shared!

Happy Easter!

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Dr. Stephen and Bethany Friberg are ELCA missionaries in Tanzania, where Stephen is a physician. In this newsletter he provides an update on the health situation in the rapidly growing country. To support the Fribergs, or another of the ELCA’s over 200 missionaries in the global church, go to www.ELCA.org/missionarysponsorship.

The Ketumbeine clinic offers vaccinations for children, prenatal care and family planning services.

As followers of Jesus we are all trying to see that God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven. In missions we have to strike a balance in meeting spiritual, physical, emotional, economic and community needs. Jesus calls us to care for the whole person.

In 50 years, Tanzania’s population has increased from 8 million to 44 million. Limiting family size and spacing children reduces poverty and improves health. Infant mortality in Tanzania is still 10 percent (one in 10 children do not reach the age of 5).  When populations double every 20 years, it is impossible for employment and infrastructure to keep up. Fortunately, as women get access to education, they choose to have smaller families. In 1994, the average Tanzanian family had eight children. Ten years later, the average had fallen to four per family. The U.S. government provides free contraception to women, and we believe this is one of the most effective forms of aid to African countries.

Educating and encouraging Maasai women to benefit from contraception is an important component of our medical work. In our area, infant mortality is as high as 20 percent. Women begin childbearing in the early teen years when the risk of complications is high. Traditionally, Maasai men have multiple wives and very large families. With global warming (the glaciers on top of Mount Kilimanjaro are rapidly disappearing) and surging population growth, there is significant environmental degradation and loss of livestock. Malnutrition is common in women and children during the five-month dry season.

Ten years ago there was tremendous cultural resistance to family planning. Only women with eight or 10 children requested it, and it had to be done secretly. There were many years of repeating the message with little to show for it. During the drought of 2009 when half the cattle died, we distributed milk powder and high protein flour to pregnant and nursing mothers. This was an ideal situation to explain the advantages of small families. Many women were convinced and suddenly we began to run short of Depo-Provera injections, oral contraception, and five-year implants. It is very encouraging that most of the younger men now support this.

We thank you for being connected to our work here: 10 small medical clinics, two camel projects, 60 women in the bead project, scholarships for theological training, hosting mission teams to assist church construction. Often we see God’s Spirit open unexpected opportunities and then provide the resources.

ENTURUBARE ENKAI. GO WITH GOD.

Steve Friberg, M.D.
Ketumbeine, Tanzania

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For the past five years Christine Eige has been an ELCA missionary teaching English as a second language in Japan. That journey is now ending, and she will return to life in the U.S. In this entry from her blog, “Musings of a Dawn Treader,” she reflects on the difficulty of that change. To support a missionary in Japan, or another of the ELCA’s over 200 missionaries in the global church, go to www.elca.org/missionarysponsorship.

Christine Eige

In less than a week I will be leaving Japan, and it’s hard to explain how truly difficult this is for me. In total, I’ve lived in Japan for five years. I’ve lived in Kumamoto for four years, longer than I’ve lived in any other one place since graduating from college. I’ve met so many amazing people in Japan, and they have become like family to me. I might be an American, but Kumamoto and Japan are truly my home.

When I moved here, I made a very dangerous prayer.  I told God, “I know that I will be here for a short time, but I pray that when I leave, I will be sad to go and other people will be sad to see me leave.” God definitely answered that prayer. At times it feels like my heart is being ripped apart: part of my heart staying with the people I care about in Japan and part going back to America with me. As hard as this is for me, I wouldn’t have it any other way. This painful separation means that I truly shared my heart with others and them with me.

I know that my transition back to the U.S. will be challenging and difficult at times. Sometimes I’ll cry because I miss my friends and Japan so much. Other times I’ll get so frustrated with American culture and manners that I’ll probably scream. Of course, I’ll have lots of stories to share about my experiences here too. I apologize in advance to my family and friends in the U.S. for having to watch this emotional roller coaster and for my occasional outbursts, but please be patient with me through this process.

As one chapter of my life comes to an end and another begins, I’m holding on to one of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned from my time in Japan — to persevere through the challenging times. One of my favorite Japanese words is 頑張る　(がんばる, pronounced “ganbaru”).  It means to persevere. Often I hear people using a form of this word to say, “I’ll do my best” or “I’ll persevere.”  My students, co-workers and I often say this when we face challenges or difficult situations.  People also use it to say, “Good luck!”  “Fight!”  “You can do it!”  We use it to encourage one another to keep trying, to show our support, or let someone know that we believe in them. After the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, all of Japan united in telling the survivors, “がんばって！”  I’m not entirely sure where the road ahead will take me; in fact, I have lots of questions about my future.  But, I do know that God will be with me every step of the way.  頑張ります!  (I’ll do my best and persevere!)

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Phillip and June Nelson are ELCA missionaries in Cameroon where they are working in business administration and nursing. To support Phillip and June, or another of the ELCA’s over 200 missionaries in the global church, go to www.elca.org/missionarysponsorship.

June and Phillip Nelson

Dear Friends,

Moussa Oumaru is a young boy who is about 13 years old from the Fulbe ethnic group, who is thin of face and body. He is not a strong or powerful young man but he has a strong heart.

It all started with an accident about two years ago in the small town of Madjidou where he and his family have been living for the last several years after starting to follow the teachings of Harouna Iisa. The accident burned his legs and caused way more pain and suffering than a young boy of 11 should have to go through. He wasn’t able to get to a hospital for several weeks because public transport often refuses to take people who have those kinds of oozing sores. The assistant to the bishop here in Ngaoundéré was coming back from a trip out Moussa Oumaru’s way and had the compassion to bring him to the Protestant Hospital here in Ngaoundéré.

The burn unit here worked with him for about three months, and this cost way more money than his poor family had. The Medical Assistance account took charge of his bills and paid the more than $1,000 dollars for his treatment. It was around a year ago that he went home to continue the healing process, which included exercises that Nicole Danki (the physical therapist) gave him to do.

Because of the pain and other factors that come from such an injury, he was still unable to straighten his legs and walk. We have the good fortune to have acquired the services of Yve Obombyok, an orthopedic/trauma surgeon, this year at the hospital who was able, in the last month, to perform the necessary surgery for Moussa to be able to straighten his legs once again. It brought a tear to my eye when I saw him walking out of the surgical ward without even a cane to help him.

Moussa is going home today and his father came by to say “thank you” for all that we had done to make his son able to walk again. Moussa’s father told me in no uncertain terms that he knew that his son was healed thanks to all the people here in Ngaoundéré but mostly what made it possible was the healing power of Jesus Christ. We only need to trust in him. Not everyone has such a dramatic recovery, but Moussa did and we rejoice with him and his family.

Often times we forget the reason we are called here, but every once in a while we get a reminder of the reason God calls us to this place when we are privileged to be a part of lives such as Moussa and his family.

Blessings,
June and Phil

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In her blog, “Missio_Dei,” Megan Ross, an ELCA missionary in Indonesia, has written about the need to be ready for the unexpected in her mission work. The visit to a prison that she writes about in this blog entry is an example of that readiness. To support Megan and her work as a teacher at the Huria Kristen Batak Protestan Deaconess School in Balige, North Sumatra, or another of the ELCA’s over 200 missionaries in the global church, go to www.elca.org/missionarysponsorship.

The students posed for a photo after the service.

“… I was in prison and you visited me” (Matthew 25:36).

Quite unexpectedly one Sunday morning, I found myself walking through the streets of Balige toward the local prison. I was accompanying the third-year class of students at the deaconess school, who go into the community every Sunday and attend various churches, often singing a choir piece. I don’t always know where they go or have the opportunity to join them, so this was a special opportunity.

Although I have not done prison ministry in the U.S., the differences, I think, are striking. Since we had come for ministry, the door was opened to us, and we walked in, unchecked. No one stopped to ask our names or look in our bags. The men, dressed in normal street clothes, were already sitting, some in chairs outside the church in the center of the prison. Without much time to look around before we sat down in the chapel in the middle of the courtyard, I couldn’t discern the guards from prisoners on the inside. But I was not afraid at all.

The liturgy and hymns were in the Batak language. I have the hymnal in Batak, but not the Bible in Batak, so I had brought with me the Bible in Indonesian. Suddenly came more unexpected events. After reading in Batak, the worship leader asked if anyone had the Alkitab (“Bible” in Indonesian). The student sitting beside me nudged me and said yes, we do. The worship leader asked, “Dari mana?” (Where are you from?). “Amerika,” I answered. He encouraged me to read. “uhmmm … saya mencoba, ya?” I stammered. (“uhhhmmm … OK, I’ll try.”)

So I tried. In front of my students and the prisoners, I read the Scripture (Genesis 15:1-6) in a language I’m still learning and at a pace that others might understand although too fast to comprehend some words myself. The student next to me whispered pronunciation help when I stumbled. The preacher didn’t miss a beat as he began his sermon right after I finished. He spoke mostly in Batak, so I received translation from my student, but I had to take a moment to reflect on what had just happened.

Abram looked at the stars and God told him that his descendants would be as many as the stars above. I am a child of God. And so are the men whom I didn’t know that surrounded me, all convicted of one crime or another.

After worship we shook hands with each other, saying “Selamat Hari Minggu.” (Happy Sunday.) It is customary and culturally important here to shake hands, and there was no exception in this prison.

“I was in prison and you visited me.” I don’t know what their crimes were or what daily life is like for them in the prison or how long their sentences are, but I was moved by the experience of grace in another unexpected place worshiping with them.

And I pray for them.

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